The BJP Monday alleged that opposition parties are running a fake news campaign to create a rift and resentment in some specific caste groups against senior BJP leaders as they are afraid of losing the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Citing a newspaper clipping of BJP chief Amit Shah attacking and demeaning a specific community, party’s national IT cell convener Amit Malviya said it is fake news, and alleged that it was tweeted by the Twitter handle of a senior Congress leader from Madhya Pradesh, who later deleted it.”Attempts are being made by opposition to create a rift and resentment among specific castes against the party and its several leaders,” he said.

In another instance, Malviya alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) circulated a news clipping that quoted Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar as having said that he was the chief minister of only one specific caste.He further claimed that AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had tried creating social tension by saying names of members of a specific caste were struck off the electoral roll at the behest of the BJP.Malviya said the opposition parties were afraid they would lose the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, and hence, were using cheap tactics to remain relevant.

“To remain relevant, different opposition parties are running a campaign of spreading fake news against the BJP and its senior leaders by turning some specific castes against them and the party,” Malviya said, adding that theses parties were in fact dividing the society by doing this.It suits them to turn few a specific caste groups among Hindus who are believed to be supporters of the BJP, while continuing with minority appeasement, he added.